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Volume 29 No.5 September – October 2015

Midwest Chapter Newsletter for

September – October 2015

Affiliations:

THE MINERALOGICAL RECORD

THE MINERALOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

AMERICAN GEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE

ROCKS & MINERALS MAGAZINE Our purpose is to organize and promote interest in and knowledge of mineralogy; to advance mineralogical

education; to protect and preserve mineral specimens and promote conservation of mineral localities; to

further cooperation between amateur and professional and encourage collection of minerals for educational

value; and to support publications about mineralogy and about the programs of kindred organizations.

INDIANA

OH

IO

ILLINOIS

MIC

HIG

AN

IOW

A

KENTUCKY

WISCO

NSIN

MISSO

URI

ofFriends

Mineralogy


2015 Officers

President - Clyde Spencer, 1858 Robin Hood Dr., Fairborn, Ohio 45324

(937)878-9988 [email protected]

Vice President Programs –Randy Marsh, 6152 Old Stone Ct., Hamilton, Ohio 45011

(513)515-7890 [email protected].

Vice President Field Trips - Reggie Rose, 4287 Parkmead Dr.

Grove City, Ohio 43123


Secretary – Vacant

Treasurer - Jeff Spencer, 4948 Beachwood Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio 45244


Liaison Officer – Nelson Shaffer, Ph. D., Indiana Geological Survey

611 N. Walnut Grove Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405

Phone: 812-855-2687 [email protected]

Fund Raising (Committee Chair) - Vacant

Newsletter (Committee Chair) Tom Bolka, 2275 Capestrano Dr.

Xenia, Ohio 45385


Newsletter published bi-

monthly in January, March,

May, July, September and

November. Please submit all

information for publication in

the newsletter by the 15th of

the previous month.

Chapter Website:

www.indiana.edu/~minerals/

National Website:

www.friendsofmineralogy.org

In this Edition…..

Presidents Message - 3

Treasurer’s Report - 4

Quarry Travel Guide - 5

Field Trip Reports - 5

A classic concretion

from the Melvin

stone quarry.

Thank you Kathy

Bailey for the Foot

Modeling!


President’s Message

Things have been relatively quiet since the last

newsletter. Reggie invited Scott Kell and me to

attend a tour of the quarry that Jurgensen

Aggregates operates in Latham (OH), in the NE

corner of the Serpent Mound disturbance. Scott

found some sphalerite. However, the consensus

was that the locality is not sufficiently

mineralized to support a large group of

collectors. We probably will not be going there in the future. I’ve been agitating with Reggie to try to get us into the

Plum Run quarry – so far, without success.

The Toledo Gem and Rockhound club and the Dayton Gem and Mineral Society had a joint field trip to the

Graymont Dolime quarry in Genoa (OH) on August 1st. I mention it primarily because there were some FM members

present who belong to one of the two clubs. As has been the practice in the past, the group was taken initially to the

upper bench where the famous pocket of dark-brown fluorite was found several years ago. Things hadn’t changed much

since last October, except that most of the larger boulders had been removed near the center of the bench and there

was a front-end loader working on the blast pile that I think was from last year. With one exception, I’ll remark about

below, most people weren’t doing too well. The host, Gary, offered to lead the group down to the lowest level, which

had a fresh blast pile that still had a lot of dust on it. The lowest level is a lot more fossillferous than the material on the

upper bench. However, about all I saw in the way of exotic mineralization were some knots of massive celestine. Now,

back to the exception: Mike Royal did find one large boulder with a lot of yellowish-brown fluorite cubes; Mike’s new

gas-powered drill was used to drill holes. Randy Marsh then helped by swinging a sledgehammer to drive Bull Pins into

the holes to crack off large pieces. After observing them, I went home and ordered a couple Bull Pins on eBay. Should

you be tempted to do the same, you can probably get them cheaper at Home Depot, as I discovered after being

impulsive.

I will miss out on the Williamsport quarry field trip on the 15th. (I’m writing this on the 13th.) I will be driving to

Thunder Bay (ON) to collect amethyst with friends from Colorado. If I find any decent material, I’ll share pictures and

descriptions in the next newsletter.

We have been talking with Tim Renneker (safety manager) of Jurgensen Aggregates about formally submitting a

training plan to MSHA for annual safety and hazard training. He offered to show us what was required to do that. I’ll

keep you posted on the progress of this project.

FM National will not be holding a general membership meeting in Denver in September. Hopefully, that will

resume next year. However, as VP of National, I have been asked to coordinate judging of the educational exhibits. I

think that there are a couple of people lined up who did it last year. However, if you are planning to attend the Denver

show, and would be interested in participating in judging, let me know. At the very least, it would be desirable to have

some backups in case someone gets ill.

From The office of the President

Clyde Spencer


Incidentally, If you have not visited our website (http://www.indiana.edu/~minerals/ ) Please do so. You will

find a number of interesting things there, not the least of which is an archive of past newsletters. So, if you are a new

member, or a long time member who has accidentally deleted a past newsletter, you can read them at the website.

While you are there, if you think that we should add something to improve the website, please let me know.

Lastly, on behalf of the chapter, I’d like to sincerely thank Katherine Bladh for her donation of $200 as an

anniversary gift to her husband, Dr. Kenneth Bladh of Wittenberg University. I’ll talk with him to see if he has some

suggestions on how we can most constructively use the money.

∞∞∞∞

Treasurers Report

2015 Chapter Treasury Report as of 8/15/2015 New items

Since the last report in June, we've had 4 new members register. This resulted in $80.00 in dues deposited. We

also received the $200.00 grant from the National treasury for our symposium.

Special Donation

We received a $200.00 contribution from Katherine Bladh as an anniversary gift to her husband, Ken Bladh,

who is a member. Thanks from the chapter and congratulations to them both!

We also sold 2 additional t-shirts for $40.00.

Altogether, this adds an additional $520.00 to the treasury for a total of $3198.54.

Outstanding Items

Due to 6 new members signing after we paid our national dues, we owe an additional $24.00.

Jeff A. Spencer - Treasurer


Quarry Travel & Event Guide

For trip type - FT = Field trip with only our club OH = Open House with several other clubs

For training - MSHA means MSHA is required OS means on-site training is sufficient

Date: Time: Trip Training: Company To collect:

Type: Locale:

Sat Aug 29 7:00a- 12:00p FT MSHA Stoneco calcite, celestine, dolomite

Clay Center, OH fluorite, galena, gypsum,

marcasite, pyrite, sphalerite

Sat Sep 12 9:30a-2:00p OH OS IMI apatite, aragonite, barite,

Corydon, IN calcite, chalcopyrite, chert,

dolomite, fluorite, glauconite,

gypsum, hydrozincite,

malachite, marcasite, millerite,

pyrite, quartz, sphalerite

Sat Oct 10 6:45a-2:00p OH OS Dolomite Group calcite, dolomite, selenite,

Walworth, NY sphalerite and cubic fluorite

Sun Oct 11 6:45a-12:00p

Sat Oct 31 8:00a-1:00p FT MSHA Graymont calcite, celestite, dolomite,

Genoa, OH galena, marcasite, pyrite,

sphalerite

∞∞∞∞

Field Trip Reports

Pipe Creek Quarry, June 20th – Swayzee,Indiana

I was glad that I was able to make it to the field trip at the Pipe Creek Jr. quarry. No shows or family outings to

attend, and the trip that was only 3 hours away. I'm one of the few who live in Illinois.

The day started out overcast and pleasantly cool. There were over 60 people in attendance. A large segment was

from the 500 club in Indianapolis, with others from various places in Ohio. Because of the size of the group, one

geologist from IMI took half into the quarry, and the other geologist brought half to work along the debris piles on either

side of the ramp. The plan was to switch positions about noon. As I was steadily working, the four hours flew by and I

never left the side of the ramp. The most abundant finds were fossils, mostly corals, lots of bivalves, gastropods, and

fragments of trilobites. In the last hour of collecting, I finally started finding calcite crystals. They were clear, colorless,

equant, modified rhombohedral twinned types. The largest I found was 1 centimeter across; others were only a few

millimeters. All of them were found in the hollowed sections of corals.

Mike Litt


GLA Quarry, July 25th – S. Rockwood, Michigan

SOMETIMES SMALL IS GOOD

There is a cliché that says "bigger is better." Usually, that is the case for mineral collectors. We would all prefer

to look over blast piles that extend for a long distance rather than only have a small amount of blast rock to peruse.

Before the trip, we had nine cancellations which reduced our number to 20. So our group was smaller than first

anticipated.

When we arrived at the quarry for our July 25th visit, it turned out that GLA was working that day, so our group

would be restricted to part of the middle bench. As we descended down the ramp, I was concerned that there would

not be enough rock to inspect. But delightfully, I left with a different impression. The small area in which we worked had

enough to keep us busy. The neatest combination specimen that I was privileged to see was a calcite-celestine specimen

collected by Dave Esch (Ann Arbor, MI). South Rockwood, and in fact this whole area in southeast Michigan, is and has

been known for its celestine deposits. Mike Royal (Defiance, OH) can confirm that history since two years ago he ran into

some deep-blue crystal clear celestine, and this year took home a 4" celestine crystal in matrix. As it turned out, there

was plenty of rock to inspect, and we all kept busy. But more importantly, we still are finding enough time to socialize

and to get better acquainted. In the collecting department, this author even came away with a celestine cluster in

matrix; a 2 inch, white, stout blade with two 1.5 inch little brothers. No one wanted this specimen because the biggest

celestine crystal was cracked. By the time I pared the boulder down to portable size, the biggest crystal fell apart. Once I

got it home, Weldwood contact cement (available at Walmart) came to the rescue. Sticking with (no pun intended) the

theme of "bigger is better”, our host Bill Begley has a great big heart for our cause, which is a love of minerals and all we

can learn about them. When we emphasize the educational nature of our trips, he gets it. By going to quarries, we learn

more about the specimens we collect, and in turn can teach others about the wonderful world of minerals. I have for a

long time believed that I would rather have a nice $5 specimen that I collected rather than a $20 specimen that is given

to me. Here's why. The celestine specimen I collected at South Rockwood needed repair, and is of little commercial

value, so it is one which may not interest most purist collectors. It does mean something to me because it is a memory

of a trip where I was privileged to collect with the best collectors in this region, all of you.

Reggie Rose

Below – celestine, Mike Royal’s (left) and Reggie’s (right)


Melvin Stone Quarry, August 15th – Williamsport, Ohio

Williamsport: An Unusual but Wonderful Place

Tucked in amongst fields of soy beans and corn, the Melvin Stone Quarry in Pickaway County is an unusual place.

First, it is called the Williamsport Plant because it is near Williamsport, yet it has a New Holland address. Perhaps for this

reason, or maybe because there is no large smokestack visible, we have had a few members have difficulty finding it.

Another reason that quarry locality is unusual is that it produces unusual specimens. Last year it produced very sharp

calcite scalenohedrons with a smoky-like color. As well, after Tom Bolka found it, John "Big Boulder Man" Medici drug

home a 150 pound pyrite nodule! John Vasichko came up with a barite specimen and Alan Dewitt took home the back

half of a large trilobite impression. Also in the fossil department, I also saw a lot of horn corals up to 9" in length, though

they were "leverites" in the middle of boulders.

This year was different, much different. Staying with the fossil department, Bob Boyd showed us an extractable

horn coral and a cephalopod section, both of which were at least 6" in length. But even more in line with our group

name, there were plenty of minerals to go around. In the "yard rock" department, we all saw it, and all but one of us

"waved farewell" as we walked by a large iron concretion. This elliptically-shaped

honker was two feet in diameter and best guesses marked it at 400 pounds. Note

that I said almost all of us walked by it. All of us except Mike "Big Boulder Guy"

Royal. He decided to christen the bed of his new GMC pickup, so he got three

friends to help him load it. You may wonder where I get all these nicknames. Well,

the Ohio State football team has three "superfans" named Buckeye Man, Buckeye

Guy and Big Nut. So I borrowed the first two of these nicknames for John Medici

and Mike Royal. I'm sure and I hope that these nicknames won't stick, because for

the next member who takes a huge boulder home, there's only one nickname left.

No one wants to be called a nut. Going back to the trip and the minerals, we spent

the first hour and a half outside the pit in an area where the quarry dumps its shale overburden. This place was loaded,

and I do mean loaded with sulfides, most notably marcasite. Most specimens displayed moderately nice to really great

tabular arrowhead shapes typical of marcasite. There were also some specimens, which when broken, exhibited a radial

crystal structure, also typical of marcasite. Most of the specimens were smaller in the 1" to 2" range, but very abundant.

Since the larger specimens that I saw were not worth taking home, I cracked one in half and interestingly liberated a

sulfur smell. One more find has to be mentioned from this year's trip that puts it in the "way out there" of unusual trips.

Jay Medici (Fredericktown, OH) discovered and took home a piece of petrified wood, which showed the bark structure

and measured about 9" x 11" x 3". It is reminiscent of the wood found around Oelrich, SD.

After our first hour in the dumping area, it was off to the pit where mineral extraction from hard rock took place.

This year calcite was found, but it had a brown, not black hue, and was of intermediate, not scalenohedral form. With

the old mercury in the thermometer rising, I would hazard a guess and say that most of us did not approach the hard


rock mining part of our visit with ultimate vigor. In fact, a good number of us defected from the pit to another shale

dump area to gather more marcasite. When the temperature climbs into the 80s in the area around a quarry, it must be

higher in the pit as rock absorbs and re-radiates heat our way. So most of us chose a path more in line with discretion

than valor and deserted our sledges for rock picks to conclude the trip. Even though the Williamsport quarry was rather

chameleon-like in revealing different treasures this year, the fact that it was different was not necessarily a bad thing. I

believe everyone had a good time and had something nice to take home, and that is a good thing. Speaking of good

things, there was one good thing about this quarry that was the same as last year. That was the warmth of hospitality

that was offered to us by our host, Tim Renneker. Tim gives his personal time to us because he finds the educational side

of what we do of value. Without hosts like Tim, we would cease to exist as an organization. We are dedicated to mineral

collecting and appreciate the beauty of minerals. We learn from our trips, our symposiums and from each other. These

are educational endeavors. Without hosts like Tim, our educational endeavors would not flourish.

Reggie Rose

Marcasite – Randy Marsh Petrified Wood – Jay Medici

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